Man remanded over stabbing of two Jewish men in London

A 45-year-old man has been remanded in custody after being charged with attempted murder over an attack in ‌which two Jewish men ⁠were stabbed in Golders Green in London on Wednesday.

Essa Suleiman is accused of trying to kill the men, who are aged 34 and 76.

He is accused of having a black handled knife during the attacks in Highfield Avenue, Golders Green and has also been charged with the attempted murder of a third man earlier the same day at a property in Great Dover Street in Southwark, south London.

Mr Suleiman, who was born in Somalia and came to the UK legally as a child in the 1990s, appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court to face the charges for the first time.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded the defendant in custody, and sent the case to the Old Bailey with the next hearing set for 15 May.

Mr Suleiman, of Camberwell, south London, did not enter pleas to three counts of attempted murder and one charge of possessing a knife in a public place.

He placed his hands on his hips as the judge remanded him in custody, but remained emotionless throughout the court hearing.

Before he was charged, Scotland Yard confirmed that Mr Suleiman was reported to Prevent, the UK government's anti-extremism programme, in 2020 but the case was closed the same year.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, which is leading the investigation, said: "Our thoughts remain with the victims involved and specialist officers continue to provide them with support as their recovery continues.

"We are determined to get justice for the victims and now that a person has been charged, I would urge everyone to avoid any further speculation in relation to this case so that justice can run its course."

Green Party leader apologises over social media post

The leader of the UK's Green Party has apologised for "sharing a tweet in haste" which had accused police officers of violently kicking the Golders Green stabbing suspect in the head after he had been incapacitated.

Zack Polanski faced criticism from the chief of the Met Police for reposting another user's social media post.

The original post on X had accused the officers of "repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head" when he was already incapacitated from being tasered.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a letter to the Green leader he was "disappointed", adding the post was "inaccurate and misinformed".

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer branded Mr Polanski "disgraceful" and "not fit to lead any political party" for reposting the criticism of police officers.

The Green Party initially said its leader "doesn’t know the full picture and knows it was a very difficult situation for the authorities," in response to the letter from the Met commissioner.

In a statement today, Mr Polanski went further and offered his apologies.

"Everyone in leadership has a responsibility for lowering the temperature at a time of such tension, and I apologise for sharing a tweet in haste," he said.

"Police responses to emergency situations such as these do need later reflection in the right forums, but I accept that social media is not the appropriate channel for doing so.

"I have invited Mark Rowley to meet with me to discuss the police response and the wider issues raised in his letter."

Yesterday, the UK terrorism threat level was raised to "severe" by the UK's Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, meaning a terror attack is "highly likely".